Healthcare Workforce Coalition Endorses Reauthorization of Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act
Washington, DC, February 14, 2024 --(PR.com)-- The Healthcare Workforce Coalition today announced its endorsement of H.R. 7153/S. 3679, which would reauthorize the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act. The bipartisan bill, introduced by Reps. Susan Wild (D-PA-7), Buddy Carter (R-GA-1), Debbie Dingell (D-MI-6), and Jennifer Kiggans (R-VA-2) in the House and Sens. Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Todd Young (R-IN) in the Senate, would provide critical funding and resources to support the mental health and well-being of healthcare providers nationwide if passed.
The Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, named after an emergency physician who died by suicide in 2020 at the peak of the first COVID-19 outbreak, has been instrumental in providing mental health resources and support programs for healthcare providers since it was enacted in 2022. It has since helped healthcare providers by establishing grant programs for mental health training and education, peer support programs, and crisis intervention services.
“The burnout and mental health crisis among healthcare providers is a national emergency,” said Ronald L. Harter, MD, FASA, President of the American Society of Anesthesiologists. “Without continued support, the plague of burnout will further compound the shortage of healthcare providers and further jeopardize patient access to essential care. I commend Congress for taking up the reauthorization of the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act and urge lawmakers to quickly pass this needed legislation.”
To date, the Lorna Breen Act has funded $103 million for 44 organizations to implement evidence-informed strategies to reduce and prevent suicide, burnout, mental health conditions, and substance use disorders. It has also established the Impact Wellbeing campaign, which works to provide hospital leaders with proven strategies to reduce health worker burnout and sustain well-being. The reauthorization of the Lorna Breen Act would expand the grants to other hospitals and the over 200,000 other types of healthcare settings as well as renew the focus on reducing administrative burden for healthcare workers.
The reauthorization is crucial to continue and expand these vital programs as nearly half (46%) of health workers in 2022 reported often feeling burned out, up from 32% in 2018, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Healthcare Workforce Coalition commends Reps. Susan Wild (D-PA-7), Buddy Carter (R-GA-1), Debbie Dingell (D-MI-6), and Jennifer Kiggans (R-VA-2) and Sens. Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Todd Young (R-IN) for introducing this legislation, and urges Congress to swiftly pass H.R. 7153/S. 3679 to ensure that our nation’s healthcare providers have the mental health resources they need to meet the demands of their profession.
“Every day, our country relies on the hard work, compassion, and expertise of healthcare professionals – but we must ensure that these extraordinary men and women never feel alone or unsupported,” said Kris Rehm, MD, SFHM, President of the Society of Hospital Medicine. “Reauthorizing the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act would go a long way in extending the support and resources America’s healthcare workforce needs to address mental health, burnout, and related challenges.”
To learn more about the Healthcare Workforce Coalition, visit healthcareworkforce.org.
Media Contact:
Rebecca Reid
rreid@schmidtpa.com
410-212-3843
The Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act, named after an emergency physician who died by suicide in 2020 at the peak of the first COVID-19 outbreak, has been instrumental in providing mental health resources and support programs for healthcare providers since it was enacted in 2022. It has since helped healthcare providers by establishing grant programs for mental health training and education, peer support programs, and crisis intervention services.
“The burnout and mental health crisis among healthcare providers is a national emergency,” said Ronald L. Harter, MD, FASA, President of the American Society of Anesthesiologists. “Without continued support, the plague of burnout will further compound the shortage of healthcare providers and further jeopardize patient access to essential care. I commend Congress for taking up the reauthorization of the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act and urge lawmakers to quickly pass this needed legislation.”
To date, the Lorna Breen Act has funded $103 million for 44 organizations to implement evidence-informed strategies to reduce and prevent suicide, burnout, mental health conditions, and substance use disorders. It has also established the Impact Wellbeing campaign, which works to provide hospital leaders with proven strategies to reduce health worker burnout and sustain well-being. The reauthorization of the Lorna Breen Act would expand the grants to other hospitals and the over 200,000 other types of healthcare settings as well as renew the focus on reducing administrative burden for healthcare workers.
The reauthorization is crucial to continue and expand these vital programs as nearly half (46%) of health workers in 2022 reported often feeling burned out, up from 32% in 2018, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Healthcare Workforce Coalition commends Reps. Susan Wild (D-PA-7), Buddy Carter (R-GA-1), Debbie Dingell (D-MI-6), and Jennifer Kiggans (R-VA-2) and Sens. Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Todd Young (R-IN) for introducing this legislation, and urges Congress to swiftly pass H.R. 7153/S. 3679 to ensure that our nation’s healthcare providers have the mental health resources they need to meet the demands of their profession.
“Every day, our country relies on the hard work, compassion, and expertise of healthcare professionals – but we must ensure that these extraordinary men and women never feel alone or unsupported,” said Kris Rehm, MD, SFHM, President of the Society of Hospital Medicine. “Reauthorizing the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act would go a long way in extending the support and resources America’s healthcare workforce needs to address mental health, burnout, and related challenges.”
To learn more about the Healthcare Workforce Coalition, visit healthcareworkforce.org.
Media Contact:
Rebecca Reid
rreid@schmidtpa.com
410-212-3843
Contact
Healthcare Workforce Coalition
Rebecca Reid
410-212-3843
https://healthcareworkforce.org/
Rebecca Reid
410-212-3843
https://healthcareworkforce.org/
Contact
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